By Lambert Strether of Corrente.
Chook Track of the Day
Northern Mockingbird, South Shore of Pueblo Reservoir, Pueblo, Colorado, United States. Begins slowly, however turns into fairly virtuosic.
In Case You May Miss…
- Trump: Time’s “Particular person of the Yr.”
- Why Ernst modified her thoughts on Hegseth; some hypothesis.
- Thumbs down on UCLA’s AI-designed textbook cowl.
Search for the Helpers
My e mail handle is down by the plant; please ship examples of there (“Helpers” within the topic line). In our more and more determined and fragile neoliberal society, on a regular basis regular incidents and tales of “the communism of on a regular basis life” are what I’m on the lookout for (and never, say, the Purple Cross in Hawaii, and even the UNWRA in Gaza).
Politics
“So lots of the social reactions that strike us as psychological are in actual fact a rational administration of symbolic capital.” –Pierre Bourdieu, Classification Struggles
Biden Administration
“Biden commutes roughly 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 folks in greatest single-day act of clemency” [Associated Press]. “President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 individuals who have been launched from jail and positioned on house confinement throughout the coronavirus pandemic and is pardoning 39 People convicted of nonviolent crimes. It’s the biggest single-day act of clemency in trendy historical past…. Biden mentioned he could be taking extra steps within the weeks forward and would proceed to overview clemency petitions…. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., and 34 different lawmakers are urging the president to pardon environmental and human rights lawyer Steven Donziger, who was imprisoned or below home arrest for 3 years due to a contempt of courtroom cost associated to his work representing Indigenous farmers in a lawsuit in opposition to Chevron. Others are advocating for Biden to commute the sentences of federal dying row prisoners…. Extra clemency grants are coming earlier than Biden leaves workplace on Jan. 20, nevertheless it’s not clear whether or not he’ll take motion to protect in opposition to potential prosecution by Trump, an untested use of the ability.”
Trump Transition
Nicely, who else?
Donald Trump is TIME’s Particular person of the Yr https://t.co/IjP5W2otV5 pic.twitter.com/CVHX9o0DB3
— TIME (@TIME) December 12, 2024
Trump to Time cowl artist: ‘Be certain my arms are massive!”
“Donald Trump 2024 TIME Particular person of the Yr” [Time]. “Trump has a prepared clarification for his inconceivable resurrection. He even has a reputation for its climactic remaining act. ‘I referred to as it 72 Days of Fury,’ he says because the interview will get below means. ‘We hit the nerve of the nation. The nation was indignant.’ It wasn’t simply the MAGA devoted. Trump harnessed deep nationwide discontent in regards to the economic system, immigration, and cultural points. His grievances resonated with suburban mothers and retirees, Latino and Black males, younger voters and tech edgelords. Whereas Democrats estimated that a lot of the nation needed a President who would uphold the norms of liberal democracy, Trump noticed a nation able to smash them, tapping right into a rising sense that the system was rigged.” • Or, to place issues extra concisely: “These parasites had it coming.” That’s, Trump could also be browsing a extra highly effective wave than he, or anybody else, is aware of. It could be a darkish historic jest if Trump turned out to be this century’s Kerensky.
* * * * * * “Billion greenback squirrel: Trump impact fuels crypto’s ‘memecoin’ growth” [Financial Times]. “Cryptocurrencies representing a euthanised gray squirrel, a Thai pygmy hippopotamus and a cartoon canine have exploded in worth since final month’s US presidential election, as Donald Trump’s victory triggers a surge in hypothesis in so-called memecoins. The marketplace for tokens representing on-line viral moments has expanded quickly since early November as merchants guess that Trump’s administration will usher in additional crypto-friendly attitudes and regulation in Washington. There are tens of millions of memecoins, which might simply be arrange utilizing on-line memecoin turbines. They don’t have any enterprise mannequin, money stream or basic worth, and don’t give their house owners a share of any bodily asset. As a substitute, these extremely unstable tokens depend on their recognition amongst merchants to generate liquidity. ‘They don’t have any worth, they by no means may have worth,’ Charles Hoskinson, co-founder of the Cardano blockchain, mentioned about memecoins just lately. ‘There’s no utility behind them, no one desires them — after they lose their lustre they go to zero.’” • Look, the Thai pygmy hippopotamus (“Moodeng”) referred to as election 2024. If that’s not “worth, I don’t know what’s.
* * * “Save a Reagan Initiative From Musk and Ramaswamy” [Wall Street Journal]. The deck: “The Division of Authorities Effectivity could search to slash the Nationwide Endowment for Democracy’s funding.” • What’s improper with slashing funding for the spooks?
“Blow Up Washington” [Tablet]. “The whole historical past of the republic has taken place in opposition to the backdrop of regular enlargement within the scope and focus of energy on the federal degree…. Whereas too many new presidents have embraced this course of, Reagan sought to reverse it, solely to sluggish the sprawl for just a few years. Is the lesson, then, that Washington will proceed to develop on the expense of the remainder of the nation? Is that this course of unstoppable? It needn’t be. Whereas putting a steadiness between the attributions of the federal and state governments is difficult, controlling the bodily location of presidency exercise is way more simple. Let’s disperse the federal government companies away from the gridlocked highways and overpriced actual property of the Washington, D.C., space to the economically depressed areas of the nation they serve, recycling the federal price range again to the economic system from which it got here. If the companies are in actual fact dispersed all through the nation that helps them, recycling tax {dollars} into the native economies from which they got here, it could not solely be useful to the nation at giant, but additionally, not like the well-intentioned however solely briefly efficient reforms of the Reagan period, it could show irreversible. As soon as the federal government companies that now crowd Washington and its suburbs are relocated to Appalachia, the Rust Belt, and the poverty pockets of the West, the states that might welcome them will struggle within the halls of Congress to maintain their share of the $60 billion-plus payroll from returning to the banks of the Potomac.” • A lot is dependent upon the areas chosen. One would possibly argue, for instance, {that a} (hypothetical) Dental Floss Safety Company must be positioned within the midst of the alabaster waves of dental floss fields within the heartland (to be “nearer to the purchasers”). However would possibly that result in extra business seize, quite than much less?
* * * “Chris Wray folds like low cost swimsuit. Don’t be Chris Wray” [Public Notice]. “FBI Director Christopher Wray grew to become the most recent public official to take away his personal backbone and dissolve right into a puddle of genuflecting goo for the larger glory of MAGA along with his announcement Wednesday that he’ll resign earlier than Trump’s inauguration. FBI administrators are purported to be unbiased, and Wray nonetheless has greater than two years left on his time period…. Wray mentioned that, in mild of Trump’s animosity, his resignation was ‘one of the simplest ways to keep away from dragging the Bureau deeper into the fray.’ For Wray, apparently, the looks of resistance is a bridge too far, so it’s finest simply to let the fascist win so he can impose the swift, unilateral peace of autocracy.” • I love “fascist”; it exhibits a dedication to the bit few Democrats have. Extra centrally: “You’re gonna need to study your clichés.” One folds “like a deckchair” (an inexpensive swimsuit could wrinkle, nevertheless it doesn’t fold). The “low cost swimsuit” snowclone (phrasal template) works like this: “The ____ have been throughout ___ like an inexpensive swimsuit.” The blanks might be crammed in with, say, “press” and “me.” Or “spooks” and “the Trump marketing campaign.” Or “enterprise capitalists” and “AI.”
“A Scandalous Resignation” [The Atlantic]. “However a scandal it most definitely is. By , FBI administrators serve 10-year phrases, a norm designed to insulate the FBI from stress to serve the president’s whims.” • The Norms Fairy sheds a tear…..
2024 Put up Mortem
Democrats en déshabillé
“Democrats can work with DOGE. I do know precisely the place to begin.” [Ro Khanna, MSNBC]. ” I sit up for working with the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) to cut back waste and fraud on the Pentagon, whereas strongly opposing any cuts to packages like Social Safety, Medicare, the Division of Veterans Affairs or the Client Monetary Safety Bureau. There are a number of areas of waste and abuse that I hope DOGE will handle.” • And the CIA Black Finances. Word, nevertheless: “DOGE co-chair Elon Musk.” Musk shouldn’t be the co-chair of something, as a result of DOGE shouldn’t be an formally constituted entity of any variety (“Hey children! Let’s placed on a present!” doesn’t meet that criterion). And when (if?) it turns into one, I might guess it should conform to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), similar to HICPAC. From GAO:
Federal advisory committees are created by Congress, Presidents, and govt department companies to realize experience
and coverage recommendation from people outdoors the federal authorities. Establishing an advisory committee might also enable the federal authorities to offer a discussion board the place probably controversial matters could also be mentioned by specialists outdoors the political area and cut back the workload of govt department workers and Congress.
That certain feels like DOGE’s use case to me. Elon can opine and acquire recommendations on the Twitter all he desires, however sooner or later DOGE must, because it have been, interact the clutch and start transmission to the federal government; FACA is the apparent API for that. In any other case, Elon is simply jawboning, and I wouldn’t give a lot for his probabilities of success, even when he does handle to induce the occassional DOGEpile on some hapless civil servant.
Syndemics
“I’m in earnest — I cannot equivocate — I cannot excuse — I cannot retreat a single inch — AND I WILL BE HEARD.” –William Lloyd Garrison
Covid Assets, United States (Nationwide): Transmission (CDC); Wastewater (CDC, Biobot; contains many counties; Wastewater Scan, contains drilldown by zip); Variants (CDC; Walgreens); “Iowa COVID-19 Tracker” (in IA, however nationwide information). “An infection Management, Emergency Administration, Security, and Common Ideas” (particularly on hospitalization by metropolis).
Lambert right here: Readers, thanks for the collective effort. To replace any entry, do be happy to contact me on the handle given with the crops. Please put “COVID” within the topic line. Thanks!
Assets, United States (Native): AK (dashboard); AL (dashboard); AR (dashboard); AZ (dashboard); CA (dashboard; Marin, dashboard; Stanford, wastewater; Oakland, wastewater); CO (dashboard; wastewater); CT (dashboard); DE (dashboard); FL (wastewater); GA (wastewater); HI (dashboard); IA (wastewater studies); ID (dashboard, Boise; dashboard, wastewater, Central Idaho; wastewater, Coeur d’Alene; dashboard, Spokane County); IL (wastewater); IN (dashboard); KS (dashboard; wastewater, Lawrence); KY (dashboard, Louisville); LA (dashboard); MA (wastewater); MD (dashboard); ME (dashboard); MI (wastewater; wastewater); MN (dashboard); MO (wastewater); MS (dashboard); MT (dashboard); NC (dashboard); ND (dashboard; wastewater); NE (dashboard); NH (wastewater); NJ (dashboard); NM (dashboard); NV (dashboard; wastewater, Southern NV); NY (dashboard); OH (dashboard); OK (dashboard); OR (dashboard); PA (dashboard); RI (dashboard); SC (dashboard); SD (dashboard); TN (dashboard); TX (dashboard); UT (wastewater); VA (wastewater); VT (dashboard); WA (dashboard; dashboard); WI (wastewater); WV (wastewater); WY (wastewater).
Assets, Canada (Nationwide): Wastewater (Authorities of Canada).
Assets, Canada (Provincial): ON (wastewater); QC (les eaux usées); BC (wastewater); BC, Vancouver (wastewater).
Hat tricks to useful readers: Alexis, anon (2), Art_DogCT, B24S, CanCyn, ChiGal, Chuck L, Festoonic, FM, FreeMarketApologist (4), Gumbo, hop2it, JB, JEHR, JF, JL Joe, John, JM (10), JustAnotherVolunteer, JW, KatieBird, KF, KidDoc, LL, Michael King, KF, LaRuse, mrsyk, MT, MT_Wild, otisyves, Petal (6), RK (2), RL, RM, Rod, sq. coats (11), tennesseewaltzer, Tom B., Utah, Bob White (3).
Keep protected on the market!
Maskstravaganza
Sequelae: Covid
“How Covid Can Change Your Intestine” [New York Times]. “We don’t have good estimates for what share of individuals with Covid go on to develop persistent gastrointestinal signs, however some restricted and small research recommend they are often between 16 and 40 p.c…. One idea about how the coronavirus would possibly trigger these signs is that it might ramp up irritation within the gastrointestinal tract. Covid can even disrupt the intestine microbiome, Dr. King mentioned, leading to fewer of the ‘good’ microbes that tamp down irritation and extra of the ‘dangerous’ ones that trigger irritation. Over time, irritation can injury the liner of the gut, making it extra permeable or ‘leaky,’ Dr. Chey mentioned. That leakiness could enable molecules from meals to flee from the intestine, inflicting immune cells to mount an allergy-like response to meals. Covid-induced irritation might also ‘chew away’ on the nerves that management contractions and ache alerts within the intestine, mentioned Dr. Braden Kuo, a neurogastroenterologist at Massachusetts Common Hospital. This would possibly trigger the nerves to ship ache alerts to the mind, even when digestion is working usually, he mentioned. Anxiousness and melancholy typically worsen intestine signs, too.” • If the Instances is protecting this, it have to be dangerous…
TABLE 1: Every day Covid Charts
Lambert: CDC’s wastewater web page loaded. No Thanksgiving surge that I can see.
| Wastewater | |
| This week[1] CDC December 2 | Final week[2] CDC (till subsequent week): |
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| Variants [3] CDC December 7 | Emergency Room Visits[4] CDC November 30 |
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| Hospitalization | |
| New York[5] New York State, information December 10: | Nationwide [6] CDC December 5: |
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| Positivity | |
| Nationwide[7] Walgreens December 9: | Ohio[8] Cleveland Clinic November 23: |
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| Vacationers Information | |
| Positivity[9] CDC November 19: | Variants[10] CDC November 4: |
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| Deaths | |
| Weekly Deaths vs. % Positivity [11] CDC November 20: | Weekly Deaths vs. ED Visits [12] CDC November 20: |
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LEGEND
1) ★ for charts new right this moment; all others usually are not up to date.
2) For a full-size/full-resolution picture, Command-click (MacOS) or right-click (Home windows) on the chart thumbnail and “open picture in new tab.”
NOTES
[1] (CDC) Excellent news!
[2] (CDC) Final week’s wastewater map.
[3] (CDC Variants) XEC takes over. That WHO label, “Ommicron,” has achieved a fantastic job normalizing successive waves of an infection.
[4] (ED) Down.
[5] (Hospitalization: NY) Leveled out.
[6] (Hospitalization: CDC). Truly improved; it’s now one of many few charts to indicate all the course of the pandemic to the current day.
[7] (Walgreens) Down.
[8] (Cleveland) Down.
[9] (Vacationers: Positivity) Leveling out.
[10] (Vacationers: Variants). Positivity is new, however variants haven’t but been launched.
[11] Deaths low, positivity leveling out.
[12] Deaths low, ED leveling out.
Stats Watch
Employment Scenario: “United States Preliminary Jobless Claims” [Trading Economics]. “US preliminary jobless claims soared by 17,000 from the earlier week to 242,000 on the primary week of December, properly above market expectations that they might fall to 220,000, to mark the sharpest rely of recent claims since October.”
Inflation: “United States Producer Costs” [Trading Economics]. “Producer Costs in america elevated to 146.49 factors in November from 145.94 factors in October of 2024.”
Manufacturing: “Inside Boeing’s wrestle to make its best-selling airplane once more” [Reuters]. “Boeing’s cautious method, following criticism that the planemaker for years rushed manufacturing, has garnered reward from regulators and a few airline CEOs. However it additionally has some smaller suppliers who minimize jobs or working hours throughout the strike hesitating to staff-up once more, creating additional uncertainty in an already fragile provide chain, in keeping with three suppliers, one analyst and an business supply…. On the manufacturing unit, each day duties are paired with exacting efforts to scrub up and take steps to keep away from error, with note-taking FAA officers carrying clipboards and donning reflective vests an everyday sight, they mentioned…. [FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker] advised Reuters that Boeing has an extended journey to attain its focused security tradition. ‘, as you’ll anticipate, however they’re frank about the truth that they’ve acquired an extended approach to go,’ he mentioned….. Seattle-area provider Rosemary Brester hoped she and her husband would be capable of get their steel plane elements processed extra rapidly following the top of the strike, however delays persist… ‘Till I see some actual stability, I’m not going to rent anyone,’ Brester mentioned.” • The plant wasn’t clear? The thoughts reels. Once I purchased printing, I all the time made certain to go to the candidates. Beer bottles below the tables have been a robust no. And the press ought to all the time be working (“time is cash”). If “cleaner” means what I feel it means, it feels like if Boeing have been a printer, I might have gone elsewhere. And never a monopoly participant, after all. Can any readers verify?
Manufacturing: “A Nearer Have a look at Boeing’s Choices Market Dynamics” [Benzinga]. “Excessive-rolling buyers have positioned themselves bullish on Boeing, and it’s necessary for retail merchants to take observe. This exercise got here to our consideration right this moment by Benzinga’s monitoring of publicly accessible choices information. The identities of those buyers are unsure, however such a major transfer in BA typically alerts that somebody has privileged info. Immediately, Benzinga’s choices scanner noticed 10 choices trades for Boeing. This isn’t a typical sample. The sentiment amongst these main merchants is break up, with 60% bullish and 40% bearish. Amongst all of the choices we recognized, there was one put, amounting to $227,500, and 9 calls, totaling $410,750.” • I don’t play the ponies, however if you happen to do…
Manufacturing: “Boeing’s India exports stay excessive, climbing over $1.25 billion” [BusinessLine]. “World progress of civil aviation, together with excessive home demand, has led aerospace main Boeing to stay the biggest exporter of plane components and software program from India. Talking completely to businessline, Boeing India and South Asia President Salil Gupte cited that the aerospace main’s annual sourcing from India has grown considerably over the previous decade, rising from $250 million to over $1.25 billion yearly. ‘This marks a considerable enhance, pushed by the enlargement of the provider community and developments in manufacturing capabilities,’ Gupte advised businessline. “Additionally it is truthful to say that this progress is really outstanding contemplating that the manufacturing of the aeroplanes themselves on the civil aspect has been a lot decrease than earlier than the pandemic.’”
Manufacturing: “Opinion: Why Embraer May Be Prepared To Take On Airbus And Boeing” [Aviation Week]. “A lot focus has been on China’s Comac. Typical knowledge holds that China’s fast advances in army propulsion and area ultimately will lengthen to industrial aviation…. I’m not so certain. Within the close to time period, Comac doesn’t have to be a worldwide participant for its new C919 narrowbody to succeed. China’s home market is large enough to take in most of Comac’s restricted manufacturing capability. Creating a really aggressive worldwide product would require certification within the West and the creation of a worldwide upkeep and assist community, no small duties. The continued decoupling of the Chinese language and Western provide chains poses yet one more problem. The corporate to regulate in 2025 is Embraer, the feisty Brazilian producer that was nearly purchased by Boeing after which jilted on the altar. With wonderful engineers and visionary leaders, Embraer has constructed world-class airplanes for many years whereas defending the mental property of its suppliers. It’s definitely able to upgauging to a much bigger airplane that might problem the duopoly. Aviation Week has realized that a number of giant airways within the U.S. and Europe have advised Embraer they’ll collectively order lots of of airplanes if a brand new program is launched.” Hoo boy. However: “A key query, after all, is whether or not Embraer can play within the massive leagues. It has 1/twentieth the income of Boeing and thus would want a monetary associate with billions of {dollars} to develop a brand new product. Discuss has centered on buyers from the Center East, notably Saudi Arabia. One other problem is that Embraer’s enterprise mannequin depends closely on outsourcing main elements.”
Manufacturing: “GM to retreat from robotaxi operations as soon as championed by CEO Mary Barra” [Business Standard]. “With the choice to fold Cruise into the guardian firm, GM is giving up on hopes of reworking itself right into a multi-platform expertise firm that focused bringing in $50 billion in income from robotaxi fares and subscriptions by 2030. The carmaker had hoped to double its income by 2030 on the dual pillars of autonomy and electrical autos. That objective, which GM has referred to as “aspirational,” additionally now seems distant with out Cruise as a brand new enterprise and after GM scaled-back its EV manufacturing objectives.” • Ah, “aspirational.”
Immediately’s Concern & Greed Index: 51 Impartial (earlier shut: 48 Impartial) [CNN]. One week in the past: 56 (Greed). (0 is Excessive Concern; 100 is Excessive Greed). Final up to date Dec 11 at 1:27:47 PM ET.
Christmas Pre-Recreation Festivities
“Demonic Christmas Show at State Home Destroyed” [NH Journal]. “Overlook St. Nick; somebody in Harmony could find yourself on Devil’s naughty record after The Satanic Temple’s Baphomet statue was destroyed Monday night time in an act of yuletide mayhem. Harmony Deputy Police Chief John Thomas advised NHJournal that whereas the investigation into the vandalism is energetic and ongoing, he can rule out a minimum of one potential suspect. ‘Santa wouldn’t do that,’ Thomas mentioned. ‘Santa loves everyone.’ The statue of the hooded demon was discovered damaged in half round 7 p.m. Monday night time, just a few hours after the marble slab exhibiting The Satanic Temple’s seven ideas was cracked. State Rep. Ellen Learn (D-Newmarket), who helped arrange The Satanic Temple’s show, was noticed gathering up the damaged shards of the goat-headed determine Tuesday morning after getting a name in regards to the destruction. She’s unsure if members of The Satanic Temple plan to place their monster model again collectively.”
Dry, very dry:
As a veteran, which firm ought to I begin?
A podcast referred to as “WARFIGHTER MINDSET” the place some former water purification specialist interviews different vetbros about “the warrior life-style” whereas hawking their very own line of “tactical” beard oil
Yet one more veteran-owned espresso firm…
— Warlizard (@War_Lizard) December 9, 2024
“Tactical beard oil.” The responses are nice.
“Argument escalates when man visits neighbor with sword and firebomb, Florida cops say” [News & Observer]. I’ll say! “When interviewed, the 36-year-old man confirmed utilizing a bottle with some gasoline in it and brandishing a sword ‘to make a degree,’ police mentioned. The suspect mentioned ‘he went to the residence to ship a message relating to disrespect to a member of the family,’ police mentioned. Particulars of that incident weren’t launched.”
Groves of Academe
Concluding: “This cowl sucks, it’s so dangerous. Have some dignity folks, we don’t need to reside like this.” • UCLA directors: “Sure, you do.”
Poetry Nook
A villanelle (?):
“The villanelle has been famous as a type that often treats the topic of obsessions, and one which appeals to outsiders; its defining characteristic of repetition prevents it from having a standard tone.” Perhaps the poet is an outsider now….
Class Warfare
“Seattle highway signal’s message raises questions after CEO’s taking pictures” [KOMO (PI)]. “It isn’t but recognized who was answerable for programming the signal or which company operates it — Washington State Division of Transportation (WSDOT), Seattle Division of Transportation (SDOT) — or a non-public firm.” • Wowsers:
These swing voters are getting actually antsy….
Information of the Wired
Contact info for crops: Readers, be happy to contact me at lambert [UNDERSCORE] strether [DOT] corrente [AT] yahoo [DOT] com, to (a) learn the way to ship me a test if you’re allergic to PayPal and (b) to learn the way to ship me photos of crops. Greens are high quality! Fungi, lichen, and coral are deemed to be honorary crops! If you would like your deal with to seem as a credit score, please place it firstly of your mail in parentheses: (thus). In any other case, I’ll anonymize through the use of your initials. See the earlier Water Cooler (with plant) right here. From AM:
AM writes: “My favourite evergreen tree with a half moon shining between the branches on the left – Roger Williams Park.”
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